"You once super-glued what to Gordon Brown?" I ask, unable to hear clearly on the fuzzy telephone line. "Myself!" says Dan Glass, "I once super-glued myself to Gordon Brown. Google it – I've got to go back into the courtroom."

Like many leading young activists, Dan's trying to stop climate change by whatever means possible. For him, this has meant spending much of the year in court.

Others in the youth movement have different tactics: Kirsty Schneeberger, 26, is in Cancún for the UN climate negotiations; Tom Youngman, 17, is regaling year seven and eight pupils with tales of meat-free Tuesdays; and Rachel Young, 22, is exhausted from an 11-day sit-in at Cambridge University.

Like more seasoned campaigners, they want to stop the injustice of climate change. But unlike their counterparts, these activists will be alive to see the consequences of a warming world.

Eloquent, enthusiastic, and with an improbably large number of achievements already under their belts, here are some of the young climate leaders at work in the UK.

Niel Bowerman, 23, climate scientist

"Most of the carbon we emit today will still be in the atmosphere heating the planet in 2050, but most of today's decision-makers won't be here. "

Youth climate activists : Niel Bowerman Photograph: Handout

An influential DPhil student at Oxford University, Neil spends much of his time modelling carbon emissions. Last week he published a paper on the impacts of 4C of warming as part of special series by the Royal Society. He worked on energy and environment policy for Obama's campaign, and recently began advising the Maldives government on its plans to go carbon neutral. Despite never having been out of full-time education, Neil has also founded a national campaign and served as executive director of Climatico , a professional network of independent climate policy analysts.

Naomi Ralph, 25, climate justice campaigner

"Environmental problems are not just a white, middle-class, liberal concern."

Youth climate activists : Naomi Ralph Photograph: Handout

Of mixed Parsi and British descent, Naomi works with So We Stand, a pioneering UK-based group that links environmental, social and racial justice. She joined the organisation in its early days in 2008, inspired to combine her climate change action (with Climate Camp and others) and anti-racism work. Poor and ethnic minority communities are often worst affected by pollution, opencast coalmines, flight paths and power plants, she says. She's currently supporting protestors in Southall, London, to oppose the construction of a new gasworks.

Tom Youngman, 17, eco-schools advocate

"I'm pretty damn terrified right now"

Youth climate activists : Tom Youngman Photograph: Handout

Still a teenager, Tom is the Eco-Schools representative on the Decc 's Youth Panel, and co-founder of Green Vision , a local network in Bath to help schools go green. Tom's work began in his own school where he has run the environmental action group since he was 14, "attempting to enthuse kids about saving the planet". He says that school children are "exposed to a lot of cynicism about climate change" and he wants to show them they can do something important and meaningful in their own lives – whether that's guerrilla gardening or walking to school. He's highly ambitious for his own work, but admits he finds the current state of global climate politics worrying.

Dan Glass, 27, activist

"Whenever anybody sticks their head above the parapet they're seen as a lunatic, but we need to show the inadequacies of the legal system for protecting the earth."

Youth climate activists : Dan Glass Photograph: Handout

Dan was recently named one of Attitude Magazine's 66 new role models for his work on bridging the gay rights and environmental justice movements. He revels in creating militant but cheeky ways to be a "thorn in the side of those destroying the planet"; he has stuck himself to a former prime minister, occupied Aberdeen airport, danced with old ladies blighted by flightpaths, and worked in deprived inner-city communities with So We Stand. Dan has spent much of 2010 in court, over action he took with protest group Plane Stupid at Aberdeen airport, and is now on trial for allegedly conspiring to shut down Ratcliffe-on-Soar coal-fired power station (the verdict is expected today). You can read his article on the disproportionate effects of climate change on marginalised communities in December's Attitude magazine - it's the one with lots of naked men on the cover.

Kirsty Schneeberger MBE, 26, champion of intergenerational equity

"How old will you be in 2050?"

Youth climate activists : Kirsty Schneeberger Photograph: Handout

There can't be many people who could put the letters MBE' after their name at the age of 25, but then Kirsty's CV already features a career's worth of achievements: co-ordinator of Decc'sYouth Advisory Panel; co-founder of Think2050, an intergenerational equity consultancy; youth advocate and policy analyst at UN climate negotiations; chair of Youth Question Time; trainee lawyer and director of a coalition of academics, legal professionals and practitioners seeking to establish an International Court for the Environment ... I could go on. She is currently in Cancún, talking to young people from around the world about how they can set up their own Youth Advisory Panels in government.

Anthony Ford-Shubrook, 24, youth delegate at Cancún

Anthony is physically disabled and has been a determined campaigner since he was ten – first on disability and now on climate change too. When he was 16 he set a legal precedent by successfully taking out an injunction against a sixth form college that tried to reject him because of his wheelchair. At university he joined People & Planet and began campaigning on climate change. He is currently at the UN negotiations in Cancún as part of the UK Youth Climate Coalition delegation, where he's focussing on the effects of climate change on people with disabilities. When not in Mexico, Anthony is a sustainability intern at the Arcola Theatre in London.

Rachel Young, 22, student protester

"With climate change and with the cuts we can see the privileging of business and the wealthy over the needs of ordinary people. It's a society that prioritises profit over people."

Youth climate activists : Rachel Young Photograph: Handout

When I spoke to Rachel she had just come out of an 11-day occupation of Cambridge University in protest against the higher education cuts and tuition fee rises. She has been closely involved in Climate Camp since 2008, and has taken part in direct action with Climate Rush, the "suffragette-inspired women-led eco-activist group." To this strident student activist, the cuts and climate change are absolutely linked, as symptoms of the failures of our democratic system.

Casper Ter Kuile, 24, youth organiser

"Only when we realise that we're all part of the same team will we really be able to exercise political power [on the need to form stronger bonds with young people working on other social and financial issues]."